Assetmark Inc. Has $58,000 Position in Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG)

Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ferguson plc (NASDAQ:FERG) by 41.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 333 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Ferguson were worth $58,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 32.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after acquiring an additional 7,862 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ferguson by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 778,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,247,000 after acquiring an additional 52,776 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $587,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Ferguson in the third quarter worth $970,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group lifted its stake in shares of Ferguson by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 25,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,506,000 after buying an additional 5,534 shares during the last quarter. 81.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ferguson Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FERG opened at $159.82 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a 52 week low of $152.52 and a 52 week high of $225.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $175.89 and its 200-day moving average is $190.10. The company has a market capitalization of $31.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.28.

Ferguson (NASDAQ:FERG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Ferguson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 34.63%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FERG. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ferguson in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $204.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $211.00 to $189.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Ferguson and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ferguson from $205.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Zelman & Associates lowered shares of Ferguson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.64.

Ferguson Company Profile

Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States and Canada. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, commercial, civil/infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company also provides expertise, solutions, and products, including infrastructure, plumbing, appliances, fire, fabrication, and others, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products under the Ferguson brand name.